I was left staring at the screen with my jaw as on the floor as humanly possible. By 2048, our oceans could be empty of fish. That’s just one of the utterly shocking moments from a new documentary on Seaspiracy. The documentary has had a profound impact on me. 24 hours later an I, an happy carnivore, haven’t touched a morsel of meat, from land, air or sea. If there’s one bit of telly you watch this year, it’s Seaspiracy. While I’m sure they had some really good reasons for not going with Conspira-sea as the title, let’s just get over that and dive in.
What Is Seaspiracy About?
I’m very conscious of the world around me and what impact I have on it. I’m very aware that I promote technology which uses precious metals and sometimes even has questionable mining methods. I’m fully aware of all of that. Being aware is the start of navigating your way through the world and trying to leave as minimal an impact on the earth as you can. For this reason I’ve challenged myself. I have my KeepCup, reusable straws and do my best to sort rubbish and recycle what I can. Why? Well my understanding was that we were destroying our oceans with waste and that’s not the world I want to leave to my future children.
Seaspiracy starts out with the filmmaker Ali Tabrizi living a very similar life to me. I guess the difference is that something urges Tabrizi to scratch the surface of the “plastic issue”. What he uncovers is shocking.
The documentary uncovers the incredible human impact that we have on our oceans, an impact where plastic is nearly the least of our worries. The documentary looks at whale-hunting in Japan before bringing things far closer to home, lifting the lid on how “dolphin-safe” cans of tuna and the likes still leave millions of dead animals as “waste” in our oceans. Tracking down the people behind the stamp found on tinned sea-food in Irish supermarkets, they simply confirm there’s no way to guarantee that the stamp means anything at all.
Should You Watch Seaspiracy?
Simply yes. I know I’ve labeled this as a review, but it’s not really going to be one. This isn’t a situation of “should you watch this”. You almost have a responsibility to do so. This planet is at a dangerous tipping point. That figure at the start is very real. Imagine. In your lifetime, the oceans may not have fish. This documentary is utterly disturbing but I’m a lot happier knowing there’s a problem I need to do something about.
I can’t put my finger on what exactly triggered me so much about this piece of film but it fire that part of my brain that made me want to leave the Catholic church through GDPR. I now feel that by continuing to buy or eat seafood, I’m a willing accomplice and that sustainable meat production is an impossible goal. I need to take a few days and evaluate what I do next, but since when Seaspiracy was over I just sat on the couch in silence. It’s over 24-hours later, and I’ve only eaten vegetarian meals. Rocked to my core.
We’re on the verge of destroying our oceans and sea-life, in turn increasing the risk of global warming and, more generally, just being human assholes. I know I’ve not done the impact this film has had on me justice but I hope you find some time to watch this documentary and then appreciate that any little change in your lifestyle could save the planet.
Seaspiracy is streaming now on Netflix.
